Monthly Archives: August 2009

John Nondorf, who researches photos and illustrations for the society, left this note on one of our posts about Clicker, the rock/cover/show band that was popular across Wisconsin during the ’70s:

“It looks like some people who know a thing or two about ’70s Wisconsin music frequent this blog. I’m hoping you can help us out.

“I work at the Wisconsin Historical Society and we have a photo collection documenting the 1970 Sound Storm rock festival in Poynette.

“We have IDs for a number of the bands and artists, but there are a lot of unidentified artists. I’m assuming these were the local/regional artists who performed there. Maybe you’ll recognize some faces.”

But who’s who? Our friend Mark in Illinois says the guitarist shown above is Bob Schmidtke, who likely was playing in Captain Billy’s Whiz Band. (We thought he was playing with Tayles, but John Nondorf says that group was a five-piece; this group is just a four-piece.) Schmidtke went on to play in Clicker.

Among the bands already identified: Baby Huey and the Babysitters, Crow, the Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Northern Comfort, Rotary Connection, Wilderness Road, U.S. Pure, Luther Allison … and the Bowery Boys, who within a couple of years became Clicker.

Ray’s Corner, as our longtime readers know, is the apartment with the loud music, and the place where the martinis are made of gin with the vermouth bottle held about a foot away. Ray is my dad. He is 84.

When I opened the door, Dad popped up from behind the counter. He’d been digging around in his CDs.

“TV’s terrible tonight,” he said. “Just the coach’s show at 6:30, and then nothing until the news comes on.”

Dad was lining up some more tunes to fill the evening that followed watching the Packers’ coach discuss the latest preseason game.

First, though, Dad had to turn it down the music, then turn it off, so we could talk. That was Billie Holiday blasting away. Dad likes the ladies.

Dad likes his TV, too. But he misses the variety shows of the ’60s and the ’70s, the ones that featured up-and-coming singers like Shirley Bassey, the lovely Welsh sensation.

In the late ’60s, Dad was in his mid-40s. He never would have listened to anything from the musical “Hair,” nor anything by Three Dog Night.

But he might have listened to something from “Hair” or something done by Three Dog Night if sung by Shirley Bassey. Something like this:

Styx was in town last night, playing across the river at the Brown County Fair. Having seen and heard them live once before, it didn’t seem likely that last night’s performance could be any better.

If memory serves — the ticket stub is long gone — Styx played a show at the Wausau West High School fieldhouse in Wausau, Wisconsin, in November 1974. It was the first rock show I ever attended. I was 17.

I’d hoped to have a date, or at least hook up with a girl at the show. No such luck on either count. I do remember running into a guy from school who seemed surprised that I would be there at all. An indication of my place in the social strata in my senior year of high school.

Styx’s single “Lady” was on the radio at the time. The band — five young guys from Chicago — was making the rounds of the Midwest in support. It had just released or was about to release a new album, its fourth on Wooden Nickel Records, an indie label out of Chicago. Thus the gig at a high school gym.

That night, Styx must have played tunes from those first four records, three of which are decent enough but mostly forgotten today. No one wanted to hear those tunes, though. They wanted to hear “Lady.”

So Styx played “Lady” early in the show, maybe the second or third song. The place went nuts. Then they played some other tunes that were received politely enough.

Styx wrapped up the show, and everyone fired up the lighters. They kept cheering for an encore. They kept cheering for a certain encore.

So Styx, the five young guys from Chicago trying to make it big nationally, came back out and played “Lady” again. The place went nuts again, and everyone went home happy.

All these years later, the only Styx records I’ve kept are some of those earliest albums released on Wooden Nickel from 1972 to 1974. They’re an interesting mix of boogie rock and prog rock.

My favorite is “Man of Miracles,” the album that came out about the same time I saw Styx in that high school gym. Give a listen to these tunes, all written by guitarists James Young and John Curulewski.

“Rock & Roll Feeling,” foreshadowing Boston?

“A Man Like Me,” inspired by Foghat? And dig those horns!

“Havin’ A Ball,” arriving at the same time and sounding like Head East, which also came out of Illinois.

All by Styx, from “Man of Miracles,” 1974. It’s out of print.

Young has been with the band since 1970, when it was known as TW4. Curulewski left Styx in 1975 — Tommy Shaw took his place — and died in 1988.

Student fees? Pay the man. School yearbook? Pay the man. School photos? Pay the man. Athletics pass? Pay the man.

No complaints, though. Evan is looking forward to high school. A great adventure, to be sure.

Our old friend Dave Edmunds remembers that adventure in a good tune from a bad film from the mid-’80s.

Those were the days
Them high school nights
You will remember all your life

And …

Those high school nights
They were the best
Those high school nights
Could be the best days of your life

That may not be everyone’s experience, but let’s hope for the best, eh?

“High School Nights,” Dave Edmunds, from “Porky’s Revenge” original soundtrack, 1985. It’s out of print, but still a pretty good record. Also on it: Jeff Beck, George Harrison, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Carl Perkins (backed by two-thirds of Stray Cats), Clarence Clemons, Willie Nelson and the impromptu supergroup The Crawling King Snakes — Edmunds and old pals Robert Plant, Phil Collins and bass player Paul Martinez.

Here’s the original video. For maximum enjoyment, crank the volume way up.

The debut album by the fine Texas soul songwriter and singer who then became the great Motown soul songwriter and producer. Only one side in, and there hasn’t been a bad cut yet.

Then, for a friend who can’t find this guy’s records on the East Coast …

“Revolution Of Love,” Joe South, from “So The Seeds Are Growing,” 1971. It’s out of print.

Interesting tune. Starts out with a greasy swamp groove much like “Run Through The Jungle.” Arrangement gets more complex, laying strings and an increasingly powerful horn chart next to South’s vocals.

It was either this or covers of “Motherless Children” or “United We Stand.” Couldn’t decide.

Do you have a childhood memory that is so detailed, so vivid, so intense that it must be true? Yet one that if examined with 20/20 hindsight may not necessarily hold true?

On Aug. 5, 1962 — 47 years ago today — Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bungalow in Brentwood, California.

Aug. 5, 1962, was a Sunday. I was in the car with my family. We were on a trip to Wisconsin to visit relatives. We lived in Missouri at the time.

We were in Mequon, Wisconsin, a suburb just north of Milwaukee. We were driving along the Milwaukee River, which ran along Highway 57 through town. We were either going to or from Uncle Wally’s house, which was a couple of miles south, just off 57.

It must be my parents’ reaction to the news that I so vividly remember from that day. I was only 5, so I’m sure they had to explain to me that Marilyn Monroe was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Perhaps they also had to explain that a bungalow was like a cottage.

But I also remember the place where we heard the news, in a low, shaded spot along the river that ran along the road. We drove past it a few weeks ago, and it was exactly as I remembered. There’s a small roadside park there. Why does that place remain so etched in a 5-year-old boy’s memory? Did we stop there for a picnic?

Then I looked across the road. There’s a pool. Were we at that pool that day? Was it even there in 1962? I don’t remember. It’s in another park. Were we at that park that day? Was there a park there in 1962? Again, I don’t remember.

But I remember the road, the river and the startling news that Marilyn Monroe had died in her bungalow.

I looked for a while for a song that might convey that feeling. This’ll do.

“Something To Remember You By,” Wallace Johnson, 1967. It came out as a 45 on Sansu Records and is available digitally.

Late to the party

ARTISTS AND PR FOLKS: Despite my Hype Machine listing, I DO NOT review new or indie music of any genre.

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About the words

The text is copyright 2007-2015, Jeff Ash. Text from other sources, when excerpted, is credited.

About the music

These are mp3s from my collection, taken from vinyl whenever possible. Enjoy. They are intended to encourage you to get out to the music stores, real or virtual, or out to support live music.

If you hold the copyright to something posted here, and you don't want it posted, please e-mail me at jeffash at new dot rr dot com and I'll remove it. Then again, who else is exposing your music to a new audience today?